Focus areas for the grant involve making select study abroad, study away and internship experiences of each campus accessible to all partner schools, along with sharing best practices in faculty assessment of student learning.

Catherine Gleason ’19 (front row, second from left) stands with Sewanee classmates in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Catherine Gleason ’19 (Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida) took a Sewanee history class remotely last spring, and in May, she traveled to Beaufort, South Carolina, with members of the Sewanee class for the three-week course.

“While in Beaufort, we spent some days in the classroom reviewing readings and learning about the history of the area,” Gleason said. “A majority of our time was spent walking around and being able to tour the various historical sites that we learned about. This allowed for a hands-on approach to history.

“Often what we learn about in history class is disconnected from the present day,” she continued. “I jumped at the chance to participate in this unique opportunity to experience history. In addition, I got to learn about a very unique part of the country and meet members of the community.”

In addition to taking courses remotely, the Mellon grant also involves the Memphis Urban Health Institute (MUHI). This year, two students each from Centre, Rhodes and Sewanee interned at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. It is a “disproportionate share hospital,” which means it provides for the underserved and under- or un-insured individuals.

“The MUHI also consisted of social activities and medical humanities discussions. MUHI students lived at Rhodes College and used its facilities to participate in medical humanities discussions with faculty from disciplines such as English and Religious studies from Rhodes, Centre and Sewanee,” said Elizabeth Graves, director for corporate and foundation relations. “These weekly discussions and the related readings and reflective exercises helped ground students’ hospital work in the larger context of medicine and society.”

Through the opportunity, Zelichenok became more aware of the urban populations and the struggles several people face concerning health, insurance, self-care and resources when living in a city of such poverty.

“Partaking in the Memphis Urban Health Institute has helped prepare me for future endeavors post-Centre, specifically graduate school,” Zelichenok said. “I would love to further expand my knowledge in the public health field and get a master’s degree in healthcare administration.

“Working as a public health professional would help me in creating initiatives to better address broad issues in society,” she continued. “Public health is a collaboration to better lives and better the lifestyles of people by developing practical medical and cost-effective solutions to battle the complex health problems seen around the world.”

by Kerry SteinhoferOctober 8, 2018

Header image: Josh Joiner ’20 (third from left) and Emily Zelichenok ’19 (third from right) stand with other interns at the Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.